Five things we’d like to see in the Budget

Five things we’d like to see in the Budget

Commentary on the Burnham government’s first budget is likely to be dominated by big-ticket changes to tax policy: broadly speaking, what taxes, and at what rates, should apply to different kinds of income and people. That’s as it should be. Getting the shape of our...
The best spent money in Whitehall?

The best spent money in Whitehall?

Yesterday HMRC released its 2026 Report & Accounts. This is the annual occasion when it’s the tax authority’s turn to show its financial sums. There’s much to dig into, but here we take a look at how HMRC’s tax compliance function is doing....
Not just vape shops – the small business tax gap

Not just vape shops – the small business tax gap

The small business tax gap is, on the face of it, the biggest and most urgent problem for UK tax administration. According to HMRC’s figures, an astonishing £36.7 billion of due taxes went unpaid in 2024/25 by small businesses (those with turnovers under £10...